Legacy Child
by crazy.lune
Summary: Legacies are hard on those who must maintain them. No one knows this better than James Sirius Potter– firstborn of The Boy Who Lived– who struggles to live up to his father's name. Voldemort might be gone, but that doesn't mean that any less is expected of the Potter progeny.James soon realises that he's not the only one lost. Can they find their identities together?
1. Of Siblings and Friends

_WHOOSH!_

James felt suffocated by the sudden rush of wind that accompanied his sister's dive for the snitch. Damn, she was a quick one! He leaned forward on his broom and accelerated at speeds that would make Grandma Molly scowl. His hair whipped around his face, stinging his cheeks when it made contact. There was nothing quite as thrilling as the chase for the snitch.

He was right on Lily's tail, when she decided to perform a roll that was, in his fine opinion, completely unnecessary. He couldn't complain much as that gave him the lead he needed to catch up. Lily alway did have a flare for the dramatic, and in this case, James was sure it would be her downfall. This time he would _finally_ beat her.

The fluttering orb flew tauntingly close to James as it went in the opposite direction; it's golden shell nearly blinding him with the reflection of the afternoon sun. Both siblings hastily turned around their brooms. James made a clean turn, while Lily– ever dramatic Lily– decided to barrel on hers. She clung to her broom and passed James in a blur of flaming red hair and silver-green robes. Sure, James would rather survive until his NEWTS, but Lily would die happily as long as she could "thrill the crowd". As if on cue with his internal monologue, the crowd oooo'd at Lily's impressive turn. Gritting his teeth James pressed forward.

He was so close!

The two siblings were neck to neck, but Lily caught the fluttering golden orb in her fist faster than James could even stretch out his arm for it.

"YES!" She screamed, pulling the nose of her broom towards the sky. She winked cheekily at James before shooting away in a flurry of silver and green. James groaned loudly, flopping onto his broom in defeat.

The crowd on the left side of the stadium erupted as soon as they saw only one seeker flying high. Slytherin had won the first match of the season!

And James… Well, James had lost them the first match of the season. Ashamed, not only to have lost to Slytherin but also to have lost to his _younger_ sister, James Potter felt the pounding in his head start up again. Nevertheless, he flew towards his teammates, slumped against his dad's old Nimbus.

"Alright, mate?" Asked Thomas Finnigan, flying up quietly next to James before they reached the rest of the team. Suspended in the air, James nodded mutely, throwing a quick, remorseful glance towards his younger sister. Her cheering teammates, all clad in silver, green and black surrounded her. She pumped her fist into the air in triumph, eliciting another loud cheer from the thronging masses from all the Houses. Having the progeny of The Boy Who Lived in the House did wonders for Slytherin's image.

"… Only a minor set back, no worries, lads!" Octavia Wood pronounced, commanding her teammates to lift their spirits despite the defeat. When James and Thomas reached the group, Octavia grinned at him broadly. "Here's the man of the hour! Three cheers for James, who played a brilliant game today!" She said, her hand gently placed on his shoulder. James tuned out the chorus of "hip-hip-hurray" and plastered a small smile on his face.

"Right, off to the shower with you lot. Practice on Monday, as usual" Octavia pronounced, practically shooing everyone away. As James moved to leave, the gentle hand became firm, nearly clawing at his skin. He winced in response, but kept his face blank after.

"Potter," Octavia started. James knew this tone all too well. "What's going on? You were an amazing seeker, but since the beginning of last year… Something's been off. I thought it was Jeanine. Or Bree, or Macy…" James struggled not to roll his eyes as his captain named some of his romantic dalliances. "But things haven't changed. It's not that you aren't a good seeker, but your heart's not in it anymore, love." Something in her voice implored him to look at her.

Deep blue met impassive brown. He stirred, wanting to tell her everything, wanting to rip open his chest and watch her watch the blood from his damaged heart pour onto the green grass below. He almost did, taking in a deep breath, but was interrupted by a loud cheer of oooo's and aaaaa's. The sound roused him from the trance, and he simply smiled blankly at her again, shaking his head. Octavia furrowed her brows and eyed him. Finally, she leaned in close and whispered "I'm here, if you need me," before flying down and heading to the changing room.

Letting out his breath, James slowly began descending to the ground in lazy circles. The warm sun was somewhat comforting, putting him in a pensive mood. He contemplated how to deal with what was next. Would Octavia kick him off the team? Well, no. The season had already begun, and he was still pretty good. Better even, than the other seekers, save she who shared his blood. It was so easy for Lily and Albus; she a natural Seeker, and he a Charms master. They had time before they had to choose what they wanted to do with their life, but they were not held back by the expectations of the first born of the great Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. They were at least sorted into different houses. He, James, was left alone in Gryffindor, with the entire weight of his parent's legacy on his shoulders. Nobody said it in so many words, but it was always felt– in the way the professors, his peers, his teammates, all looked expectantly at him, as if to ask, "What will you do that's worthy of your name?"

Sighing, James hopped onto the ground and shouldered his broom. Most of the students had cleared off to The Castle, so James was left in peace with his pounding thoughts. Growling, he kicked impatiently at the grass. He most certainly did not want to have to read his parent's kind words about how it was important that he only tried his best- no doubt Al would have sent them an owl with the news by dinner. James just wanted to curl into a tiny ball and disappear from the place where he was constantly compared.

A tinkling laugh that could only belong to his sister caught his attention. He turned towards one of the large, shady trees that grew close to the pitch. Nearing the tree, he spotted his sister in the shade. She was still in her Seeker's gear, but laughing closely with a particular blonde-haired boy that James hated so.

"Congratulations, Lil." He muttered darkly, feeling like a Dementor to their sunny picnic in the park.

"James!" she squealed, running over to hug him. Lily was much shorter than him, so she always wrapped her arms around his waist. He rested his chin on her head and felt a small smile make an appearance.

Lily was such a free spirit, that James wondered _how_ in Merlin's name she got sorted into Slytherin. Then again, she had always been ambitious. Just last year she tried out for Slytherin Seeker, even though the position wasn't open. She had walked onto the pitch anyway, and informed the then Team-Captain-come-Seeker Michael Bulstrode that she was trying out for his position. She challenged him to catch the snitch before she did; if she won, she'd be Seeker; and if he did, she'd clean the entire team's gear for the rest of the season. To humour her, and possibly humiliate her, Bulstrode took her challenge. Needless to say, Lily smashed the impromptu try-out, pulling off a dive that even their father would never have tried, and got the position of Seeker.

"You put up a fair fight," Lily said unaware of his trip down memory lane.

"I let you win!" James exclaimed. "You only have raw talent, my dearest sister." A laugh escaped his lips as Lily lightly punched him in the chest good-naturedly. "I'm proud of you, Lil," James said, pulling her in for a proper hug. He felt a sudden rush of love for his baby sister.

However, his scowl returned once he noticed Scorpius' smile.

"Potter." Scorpius said, nodding in his direction, his face resuming the blank expression he always wore around Lily's family.

"Malfoy." James nodded, stepping away from Lily, and turning to leave. Lily smiled sadly as she let James out of her embrace. James smiled back, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Her tinkling laugh sounded from somewhere behind him, and James Potter stomped his way back towards the changing rooms.

-x-

"James, you arse!" Yelled Octavia, slamming her book bag onto the Gryffindor table, making his pumpkin juice spill. Frowning, James looked up at her.

"Whadidido?" he mumbled around the sausage-and-egg roll he had been stuffing his face with.

"You've been scouted by the Tutshill Tornados and didn't think to tell me?!" She scowled, whipping out her copy of the Daily Prophet and pointing to the headline on the fourth page. His jaw dropped, giving Octavia a brilliant view of his half-chewed breakfast.

"What?!" James exclaimed, sausage and eggs spraying everywhere. He quickly slapped a hand across his mouth at Octavia's scowl. He just could not believe the headline: 'Potter Prodigy to go Pro-Quidditch?' Horrified, James groaned and buried his head into his arms that were resting on the table.

"You didn't know?" Asked Octavia quietly, ashamed about assaulting her best friend.

"No." Came the muffled reply.

"Oi, Octavia!" Thomas yelled, sliding over form his seat. The blonde sixth year he seemed to have been flirting with looked thoroughly relieved. "What have you done to our poor boy now?"

Octavia stuck her tongue out at him, before poking James form across the table. "Your guard dog here-" she motioned to Thomas when James lifted his head, "is getting protective. Tell him whats happened before he bites my head off."

"Woof." Thomas replied cheekily, then turned to look at James expectantly.

"It seems I am being scouted." James mumbled into his plate, a slight blush colouring his cheeks.

"No shit!" Thomas exclaims, clapping James on the shoulder.

Red-faced, James stands up, quietly saying "late for Potions" in response to Octavia's quizzical look. She nods in response, and mouths 'I'm sorry'. James smiles slightly, then picks up his bag and heads towards the doors. A few seconds later, Thomas catches up, huffing slightly form the weight of his book bag.

"Alright then, who is it?" He asks, poking James' arm.

"Who's who?" James asks, his face not quite back to its normal shade.

"Who's scouting you, mate?" Thomas laughs as they head out of The Great Hall and towards one of the passages to the dungeons.

"Oh. Erm, Tornados, apparently." James can't help the smile that finally slips across his face. The Tutshill Tornados were his _favourite_ team. To think that they wanted _him_ to play for them...! He never thought of playing professionally, but if the scout thought he was good enough, maybe it was worth considering...?

A low whistle sounds as he and Thomas round a corner, where he comes face-to-face with his younger brother, Albus. Skidding to a stop, James scowls. Thomas is grinning because Alice Longbottom and Rose Weasley were with Albus.

"You really being scouted, J?" Albus asks, using the nickname he _knows_ will rile up his brother.

"Apparently." James said, tight-lipped.

"Isn't Aunt Ginny the coach for the Tornados?" Rose asks innocently.

"What are you doing here anyway?" James retorts, trying to evade the sinking feeling in his stomach.

Al talks over him to reply to Rose, "Naw. Mum's with the Harpies!"

"Right, of course." Rose says quickly, clearly the implication of what she had just said hit her.

"Although..." Albus continues, looking thoughtful, brows furrowed, "She is good friends with Alexander Hodge- the new Tornados Coach–" He glances at Thomas for confirmation, who nods his approval, then continues, "Or at least she used to be... I'm not sure anymore. He used to come home a lot when we were younger. He even gave James and Lily a few flying lessons! Do you remember James?" He finished excitedly. Albus clearly had no idea what had just been implied.

James only nodded. Alice had been eyeing him resolutely for the entire duration of Albus' monologue. "You know the coach then?" She asked, her face blank, but her eyes glinting with something malicious.

Thomas cleared his throat, shaking James out of his trance.

"Um, yes, I suppose. although, I wasn't aware that Hodge was made coach. What happened to Fletchly?" James replied, directing the question to Thomas. Alice was still staring at him blankly and that made him shuffle his feet uncomfortably. Rose and Albus were discussing how Albus could be _miserable_ on a broom, when he comes from a long line of genealogically superior flyers, unawares of the tension brewing between the others.

"Yeah. Fletchly got sacked last week for... um... inappropriate conduct with one of the chasers." Thomas explained, grinning cheekily at the last part.

"Oh?" Alice noted, finally taking her eyes off James, and directing her piercing stare onto Thomas. He clearly took it as a sign of flirtation, immediately lowering his voice, and smouldering his eyes.

"Yes–" He began, but James cut him off.

"Well, we're going to be late for Potions. Bye." James said loudly, practically dragging Thomas away from the group and down to the Dungeons. He turned back once, only to meet Alice's clear blue eyes staring unblinkingly at him again. With a shudder, James ran down the stairs after his best friend.


	2. What's In A Name?

Within the week everyone knew.

Not only that James was being scouted, but also that it was by a family friend. One of the few things James had though he had achieved on his own merit, and it turns out it was because his mum was pals with the coach!

"Oi, cheer up." Thomas said, elbowing James as they headed for Herbology.

"I just thought this was something I might have earned. Instead, it's because my last name is Potter." James replied, sulkily. The hallway was relatively empty, and the scrape of his black shoes against the grey stone floor echoed slightly, making his statement all the more dramatic.

"Well, if your were complete shit, they wouldn't have even considered you." Thomas said, peeking at his friend from the side. He found James baring his teeth at a gaggle of third-years who were whispering and pointing at him. Thomas sighed, grabbed James by the shoulders, and shook him vigorously.

"James, mate, you're a great Seeker! So what if your mum knows Hodge?! It doesn't make you any less of a player! You've been given an opportunity, you should take it!" Thomas' words got louder and more enthusiastic by the second, causing James to flush in embarrassment. They had just turned into a far more crowded hallway, and Thomas's loud words had turned many heads.

"You're creating a scene…!" James mutters, glaring at Thomas, who simply grinned and let go of James. The two continued through the crowded hallway.

"And you weren't when you practically threatened to eat those Third-years?" Thomas joked.

"Pffffft." James was grinning. He turned to look out the large windows that lined the hallway, looking out onto the quad. The autumn days were turning into winter; the once green trees were turning yellow, orange red and brown. James couldn't help but feel like it was a message for him. The tress that survived the winter would turn green and luscious come spring time. And James could thrive in a team like the Tornados, he had to make it through the wintery phase of icy comments and the blizzard of rumours.

"But you're right," he sobered up, "It's an opportunity, and I should try my best. Regardless of how I got it. What good will it do if I pass it up?" Now James was the one who was nearly crowd seem to part for the two Quidditch stars, prying eyes trying to strip away James' character till they found truth to the rumours. Thomas laughed, shaking his head. The two friends continued down the stairs.

Dominique caught up with James and Thomas near The Great Hall, her silver vela hair swirling wildly behind her. Immediately Thomas stood straighter. James rolled his eyes and cuffed his mate on the back of his head.

"Hey Dom." James greeted his cousin, who was more like his sibling than either Albus or Lily.

"Hi!" She replied cheerily, winking at Thomas who had his mouth slightly open.

"I haven't seen you in ages!" James complained, swinging his arm around her shoulders and ruffling her hair. He was the only person who could get away with it unscathed.

"I got sick of you– needed a break." she deadpanned, but her eyes belied her words.

"You did not!" James said, sticking out his tongue.

Dominique repeated the gesture, but with the elegance only a Veela could muster. The three continued down the hallway towards The Doors– Dominique and James in conversation with Thomas trailing slightly behind awestruck in the presence of the part-Veela.

"What's all this about you and the Tornados?" Dominique asked, her voice laced more with worry than curiosity, but she kept her tone light. James' expression darkened significantly, but he shook his head and matched her tone.

"I might be scouted, but that could be because of my talent or because Mum knows Hodge– the coach."

"Ouch." Dominique replied with sympathy. She rubbed his arm lightly for comfort. James smiled lightly, she always knew how to respond.

When Albus had been sorted into Hufflepuff, and James had been furious, only Dominique told him what he needed to hear: "I know you'll miss him James, but he needs to be his own person." That's when James had let go, and actually started talking to his little brother again– or tried to at least. In the three months that James had avoided Albus, his younger brother had grown detached. Their conversations were now only cordial and tight-lipped, with both trying to annoy the other enough for them to leave.

"Where have you been, though?" James said, changing the topic before his mood got any worse.

"Ah. Astronomy Tower–" Dom began, a smile lighting up her angelic face, but Thomas interrupted.

"You don't take Astronomy!"

Dominique's eyes twinkled.

"Oui." She confirmed, a smirk breaking out on her face.

"Where else have you been?" James asked suspiciously.

"The Great Lake, The Forbidden Forest, The Dungeons, The Room of Requirement… Need I go on?" Dominique replied cheekily.

"Hmmm. I wonder what all these places have in common… Or who they have in common, eh Dom?" James asked, shoving a blushing Dominique lightly. She stumbled into an unsuspecting Thomas, who automatically held her waist to steady her. Dominique looked up at him with her pretty blue eyes, and Thomas jumped back as though he'd been burned.

"I– uh– um– sorry– er–" Thomas flushed, awkwardly scratching his head.

Dominique laughed gaily and placed her arms around both boys' waists.

"To the Greenhouses?" She asked, looking first at James then at Thomas. They glanced at each other above her head and said in unison, "To the Greenhouses!"

"Allons-y!" Dominique cried. Frightening a few Firstyears out of their way.

The three Gryffindors marched out of The Castle.

-x-

"James! A moment please!" Neville Longbottom, Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, called out. He tapped his wand absent-mindedly against the tired wooden table as he waited for the son of his old friend to make his way anxiously towards him. The action caused green sparks to skitter across the table. He jumped in fright at the sight. He was unwillingly taken back to The War–

Green sparks flying everywhere. Everyone was aiming to kill. No, not everyone. Only the Death Eaters. There was red and blue, but far less in number. Did that mean they were losing? No. He could not loose hope. "Longbottom!" Luna called, running swiftly over. "Professor," she said huffing. What? No. Luna wouldn't call him that–

"Uncle Neville!" James hissed, shaking his beloved Professor gently out of his reverie.

"Ah. Sorry about that, James." Neville said, pinching the bridge of his nose despite the mud on his hands.

"Its alright Professor. Dad and Mum sometimes get these too." James led his shaking Professor to one of the massive wooden stools the students used while working in the Greenhouse.

"They do, huh?" Neville asked, a small smile forming at the image of a five-year-old James Potter leading Ginny to a couch as he had just led his Professor; a tiny James fetching her some water and chocolate, as he was apparently doing for his Professor.

"Here," James said, fishing out a half-eaten chocolate bar from his book bag. He then transfigured one of the empty pots into a goblet and whispered "Augmenti" to fill it with water. He pushed the goblet in Neville's direction, with a reassuring smile, and sat on a stool himself. Neville's heart ached for the poor boy that looked like he had dealt with this and far worse from his parents.

"I've seen worse, Professor." James reassured, a distant look entering his eyes.

"Thank you, James." Neville said after a moment. He handed back the chocolate– a bit remorsefully– and downed the water. James nodded sharply, still in another world.

"Ahem." Neville coughed lightly to bring the boy out of his trance. "I actually wanted to talk to you about your future." James perked up. "You wanted to know of professions that involved working with plants, yes?"

"Yes, Professor." James said, still looking worried. He had long since learned to call Professor Longbottom just that on school grounds– he didn't need another reason for his meritorious record –in this case his good grades– to be that the Professor was another family friend.

"Well, you could support a Potions Master in their endeavour to create new concoctions– mind you, they don't like giving credit for this particular job." Neville began, mentally checking Potions Assistant off his list. James sat up straighter on his stool.

"There are various positions under the Ministry–" James scowled, and Neville laughed at his response, "I suppose you wouldn't be interested in such." James shook his head vigorously.

"Well, Wandmaking, ICU for magical creatures, or even your own research!" James looked thoroughly pleased at the thought. Neville smiled and continued.

"You could, of course, become a Professor of Herbology– just don't take my position!" Neville finished with a joke. James sported a broad smile at the end of Neville's list. He was pleased that there were so many options for him, doing something he loved. The Greenhouses were one of his only places of solace left: just him, the plants, and the wet earth. Nothing left James feeling more content.

"I've friends in all these fields, and they would consider you for an internship of sorts with my reference." James blanched considerably at the thought of getting yet another thing simply because he knew people. It seemed to surround him like a hurricane– swirling, suffocating thoughts of how he could never amount to anything himself, and all he ever could be is a Potter. He snapped out of his internal monologue when Neville continued.

"Well, you had best be off– the sun's all but gone and you wouldn't want to stumble on the path back to The Castle, would you?"

James blushed at the insinuation, catching the twinkle in Neville's eye. He knew that Professor Longbottom knew about his midnight adventures down to the Greenhouses. And now, Professor Longbottom knew that he knew that he knew. James shook his head to rid it of these circular thoughts.

"Thank You, Professor." James said softly, gathering his book bag and pushing the stool back under the worktable. He paused at the door of The Greenhouse and turned to his beloved uncle. "You'll be alright, won't you, Uncle Neville?" He asked tentatively.

Neville looked up from his inspection of a peculiar rash on one of the potted Veneris comedenti that he and Hagrid had been growing. "Hmmm? Yes, of course James. Thank you for the chocolate." Neville smiled reassuringly. James nodded once and then exited his safe haven.

Neville sighed, worried about one of his favourite students. He decided to pay McGonagall a visit. As he turned, the Veneri comedenti made a snap at his arm. Neville yelped, pulling his endangered limb closer to his body, a knelt down to scold the plant.

"Maneater," he addressed the mass of sewage-green cellulose. "Manny," he whispered, almost cooing at the plant. It shivered in response, yellow spots spreading further, and dropping its head slightly. "Try, Manny, try. You've gotta be more than your name. If you can't do it, there's no way The Ministry will approve of this new medicine, and we need it." Neville rose, "we really need it Manny." The plant drooped further, as if ashamed for its actions. "Here," Neville pulled out a mouse from one of his many pockets, and proceeded to feed it to the plant. Manny gobbled it up hungrily, emitting a puff of foul-smelling gas when done, which reminded Neville of a burp.

Laughing at how human his man-eating plant was, Neville quickly walked towards the head of the long wooden table that stood in the centre of the Greenhouse. Gathering up the scrolls of essays his Seventh year class had brought with them, Neville swept out of The Greenhouse.


	3. Winter Is Coming

James sat on his four-poster bed with a huff. His good grades seemed to be plummeting along with his mood this term. He dumped his book bag onto the stone floor and heard an inkwell shatter. He growled and kicked his shoes off mercilessly, ignoring the mess that was bound to spreading through his things. He flopped onto the soft mattress, lying across the width of the bed, so his head hung over the other side.

The red and gold of his seventh-year Gryffindor dormitory was exactly as his father had told him it would be– of course; his dad had never actually been in school for his seventh year. There were five identical beds in this room, though James suspected the number changed according to the number of kids in that year. He wondered if there had ever been a dorm room with one only bed. He felt sad for this hypothetical individual, because some of James' best memories were in this room, with his mates. Thomas Finnegan, Rick Paldensky, Henry Godall and Ernie Jacobson. Two of them were muggleborn and still found things to wow at in the Wizarding world. James laughed with the others at this, but found it strangely humbling. Just because he had grown up around magic, should it cease to amaze him? They had their arguments, but when it came down to it, these boys had his back. They were practically family.

His room didn't seem so odd upside down, but Thomas walking on the ceiling certainly gave him the creeps. Far too quickly, James sat up on his bed, experiencing a not-entirely-unpleasant-but-I'd-rather-never-do-that-again kind of head rush.

"No dinner then?" Thomas asked, nodding towards James' forgotten shoes. The latter only groaned loudly, and buried his face in his fluffy pillow.

"Camph e justh shleph porheevr?" James yelled.

"I'm afraid you can't _just sleep forever_ lad." Thomas said, a smirk gracing his features. He was pleased that, despite how distant James had been recently, he could still understand his best friend's peculiar version of pillow talk.

James laughed a little at Thomas' brilliant ear, and sat up once more, hugging his pillow close. The other boy walked over to sit at the foot of James' bed.

"You alright, mate?" He asked, worry lacing his strong features.

"Never been–" James began, plastering that fake smile he had grown so accustomed to. He was jarred slightly by how easy it had become to perform this.

"Better. I know." Thomas finished for him, sighing. "Look, James, I won't pester you to talk, but maybe it would help."

"I'm fi-" James started.

"You're NOT fine, by Merlin!" Thomas yelled, Jumping off the bed and glowering at James. "You've been moody, distracted, and off late even lethargic. James, what's happened to you?" With every word, Thomas' voice became softer, more worried, and gentler.

James opened and closed his mouth several times before he came up with the witty reply of, "Sod off."

There was an incessant tapping on one of the windows, disturbing the eerie silence that stretched out between them. "Your bratty owl's here." Thomas said finally, with more malice than the poor bird deserved.

"She only bit you once, and Madame Pomfrey fixed it right up. Such unnecessary dramatics!" James quipped, getting out of his bed.

Thomas huffed unhappily and stalked out of the room.

James opened the window with haste. Although Trinket adored James, she hated to be kept waiting. The tiny brown owl hooted unhappily and instantly hopped onto James' arm, aided by the gust of cold wind that swirled into the room. James fought against the wind to secure the glass of the window right next to his bed. It was a long window that ran close to the roof. Being in seventh year, their dorm was on the top floor of Gryffindor Tower. It had three large windows, and James' bed was in between two of them.

"Hey girl." James cooed, stroking the soft, glossy feathers on the back of her neck. She hooted impatiently, nipping at his hand. Usually James would have simply laughed and reached for his letter. This time, however, he felt his gloominess return with Trinket's "betrayal". Scowling James nearly tore the scroll attached to her foot, and shooed her back out the window to the Owlery. James glared at the creamy letter. It was written in his mother's neat hand, but had his father's seal– red wax with the Potter crest and large letters "HP" through the middle. Harry had adopted the crest soon after the war, but only once he was made Head Auror did he have a seal made. James rolled his eyes at the pomp.

Callously, he discarded the letter, unopened, into his trunk, where it would get lost amongst the others that had accumulated over the past couple of months. James felt a twinge of guilt at the unopened mess. Nevermind – Albus would tell their parents he was alive. That's all they really needed to know. He'd have to reply to all of them sometime before Christmas break, to avoid a stern talking to by his mother. James muttered and alarming string of curses when he realised that Christmas break a little more than a month away. And NEWTS not too long after that.

What was he going to do with his life? Would he really take up the Tornado's offer? Hodge had sent him an owl last week, saying that he'd be coming to the next match to watch him. No doubt it was a congratulatory letter that had just arrived from his parents– they were probably pushing him to take it.

What about what Longbottom had told him? Wandmaking, Independent research, a professor even. These prospects made James happier than ever. However, he was well aware that these choices- could he even call them such?- were lacking in the grandeur that had come to be associated with his family name.

Knowing he couldn't sleep with these thoughts ravaging his mind, James decided to catch the last bit of dinner. He pulled on his shoes and ran out of his dorm.

-x-

McGonagall had withered in the past 20 odd years. The War had taken a major toll on her. However, her stern gaze never failed to send Professor Neville Longbottom back to his own school days. He found himself at the end of one such stare at the moment.

He remembered this office, from back when Dumbledore had occupied it. Not much had changed, though McgGonagall had made it her own, definitely. All the various trinkets and magical devices that had occupied it during Dumbledore's term had vanished. Instead there were far more books than Neville had thought McGonagall to have read. And some suspicious titles in there as well. She even had a subscription to Witch Weekly, he noted, the magazine popping out from under a stack of important-looking papers. She sat behind a massive mahogany desk, with a small, potted cactus in the corner. Neville sat opposite her, in an uncomfortable chair intended for guests. He fiddled with his thumbs anxiously awaiting her response.

"Are you certain you want to contact him?" Minerva asked, finally.

"I think it would really help James, Headmistress." Neville said, he voice surprisingly firm.

"I shall try. Mr. Malfoy is not an easy man to track down." She replied, giving Neville a piercing look over her spectacles.

Neville nodded in response, not breaking her stare.

"I only ask because you were the last person to interact with him… I heard he comes to King's cross every year, to drop off wee Scorpius, but I can't wait till then to find him."

"True. He has exiled himself from society, presumably for the sake of his son. I shall do my best, Longbottom. Have you approached Scorpius?"

"Ah. I shall, but I doubt he will be able to help me. If anything, talking to the boy might make finding Draco much harder. He seems intent on protecting his father from the rest of the world. The boy just clams up whenever anyone brings up the subject."

"Very well. I shall owl you if I find anything."

After his encounter with Manny, Neville had rushed to Hagrid's and promptly forgotten about James and his meeting with the Headmistress. Only a week later had he remembered that he needed to talk to Minerva. That peculiar rash of Manny's was intriguing, and promising to say the least. Trying to change the nature of a man-eating plant, anyone but Hagrid, would have found the notion to be ridiculous. The man had, of course, been ecstatic to hear that Manny had taken to eating rats instead of human flesh. They had talked late into the night about the possibilities. Oh, the possibilities…

The head of Gryffindor house rose ashamedly at McGonagall's quiet cough– indicating the end of their conversation. As he stumbled on his way out, Minerva was reminded painfully of the young boy that had floundered around in her Transfiguration class. She beamed at how he'd grown. And how much they had been through. Yes, she decided, everyone changes. She would Fire-call Lord Malfoy first thing tomorrow.


	4. Of Friends and Family

Albus Severus Potter was a proud Hufflepuff. Well, most of the time at least. The yellow and black house colours clashed terribly with his own hair, and not to mention his green eyes. And sometimes he yearned for the aloof and unassuming air that his cousins from other Houses had about them. At Hufflepuff, everyone knew _everything_ that happened to one another. The House was, in fact, the main stem of the Hogwarts grapevine. Intuitive by nature, Hufflepuffs could read situations very well. If Albus wanted to be alone, of course they'd leave him be, but everyone still _knew._

As such, it was no surprise when Frank Longbottom, another new addition to Hufflepuff, had hugged the scared, and not to mention sad, 11 year old in their Firstyear dorm the night of the Sorting. Albus had been both shocked and grateful, and the two boys had soon become inseparable. Along with Frank, and his twin sister Alice, Albus made it through those first few weeks. Not to mention Teddy, the proud Head Boy, who was something of an older brother to Albus. Of all his family, Teddy had been the only one to whistle and cheer him on ecstatically when the Hat had yelled "HUFFLEPUFF". Teddy had actually stood up. Following his example, the other 'Puffs stood as well. Albus had hardly noticed at the time, reading clearly the betrayal in his brother's brown eyes from across the room. But in hindsight, Albus was so very grateful for the older boy's support. Although Teddy had been a bit too old to play with Al as they had grown up, something about him was always so comforting. He had a presence about him that was calming– you couldn't help but smile when Teddy was in the room. And when Hugo had joined him the House of the Badgers, Albus tried to be there for him in a similar fashion.

A few weeks into his first term, Albus began to open up to his other dorm mates– Greg Nott, Heath Greenfeld, and Kit Parsley. Together with his new friends, Albus became happier and more independent. He wrote home every week, and to Lily twice. His parents were delighted to hear about how inter-house unity was commonplace now; and how old prejudices seemed to be buried deep.

Since Alice was in Slytherin, the three of them often spent time in the Recreation Room. It was incredibly large, with stonewalls like the rest of the castle, but colourful– mainly the House colours, but there were some classic purples, pinks and oranges thrown in as well. The furniture was mismatched, and old. Students had started this tradition after The War: every batch would leave something behind in the Rec Room, which had now left it in a state of comforting disarray. Friends often met in this room, where Houses didn't matter, to relax after a long day of school. Of course, this was also where they threw the occasional party, but for the most, it was the most laid-back part of the Castle. Sometimes Rose would join them, but she was usually lost in her world of Ravenclaws.

Rose was another reason that Al had felt so thrown during his first year at Hogwarts. His beloved cousin, the one who was his friend through childhood, had barely cast a glance at him throughout the Sorting. She fit right into Ravenclaw– the clever witch that she was. It seemed, sometimes, that she only spent time with Albus because she felt obligated to. It was all very confusing for him to constantly read into people's behaviours, but he had long since learnt that this was his best strategy. Albus did not deal well with confrontation, and so, his constant observance and dissection of people allowed him to successfully avoid confrontations on all fronts.

Albus was, true to his House, fiercely loyal. Part of his ferocity stemmed as a reaction to the harsh way James had dumped him when he was not sorted into Gryffindor. James, his older brother and role model, his _best friend ,_ had dropped him like a pile of steaming dragon dung. The memory of his shocked face was still etched deep into Albus' mind.

Nevertheless, he felt at home with his Housemates. The warm Common Room was next to the kitchens, and such, Albus had grown a bit of a paunch in his five years at the school. It was lit with happy yellow torches that blazed reassuringly along the marble walls of their dungeon suite. There were big, comfy armchairs scattered around a simple-yet-elegant fireplace. Multiple throw pillows were found – in the traditional yellow and black, of course– along with beanbags and plush rugs. Students often lazed around together in these corners, a constant supply of food appearing on the trays of the ornate wooden tables placed strategically around the room. His dorm was much the same as the others. He had described it to Dad in one of his very first letters, and had found that it was the same as those in Gryffindor Tower. It had five, four-poster beds; simple sheets bearing the House colours; and a pillow. Of course, being in the dungeons, they didn't have windows. But there were massive murals along the marble walls depicting a different scene everyday.

Albus was staring at one such mural, something of a habit of his, when Frank had run up behind him to give him a hug. Albus' head was swirling with these thoughts; his many recent encounters with James had brought back all these memories and confusing feelings. And even Hugo, more of a brother to him than James, was distant these days. He'd quickly end any conversations with Al– as politely as possible, of course. Albus wondered what was the matter with his younger cousin, and what was the matter with himself, and what was _really_ the matter with his family.

Frank licked his cheek in a manner very much like a dog, bringing Albus out of his tornado of thoughts. Albus good-naturedly dug his elbow into the other boy's stomach, and the two chuckled. This had become something of a special greeting between the two of them since the time in third year where they had gotten into some Firewhiskey. Frank had been completely out of it, and had licked Albus in way of a greeting. The next morning, in order to restore their friendship to its proper balance, Al had licked Frank, proudly declaring that this was now their secret greeting. Of course, the two had faced a lot of flak for "being gay" but with the support of their friends, family, and House, they squashed all such rumours– though not after a few tears. The entire ordeal had greatly strengthened the friendship between the two boys.

"What's the matter with you then?" Frank asked, moving to sit upon his bed.

Albus looked wearily at him before replying.

"Just thinking…" He said, his eye glossing over.

"You stare at The Murals when something's bothering you, Al."

"Is it just me, or is Hogwarts a lot smaller this year?" Frank noticed the edge in Albus' voice when he spoke.

"Been bumping into some one a bit too often?" Frank ventured, throwing caution to the wind.

"Yeah. James." Albus' face went blank, but Frank's contorted into a frown. Albus may have given up antagonizing himself over his brother's rude dismissal of him back in their first year at Hogwarts, but Frank, the fiercely loyal Hufflepuff, could not forget so easily. He and James sported a rivalry that was an endless source of gossip for the Hogwarts student body. It even made its way into the holiday festivities, making things awkward for everyone.

"Want me to punch him out again?" Frank offered, the gleam of malice in his eyes belied the joking tone of his voice.

"Ha! Like last time?" Albus asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow. Frank's face contorted into a wince for a barely a second, before shifting back to his mask of angry indifference. This incidence in question was the Christmas party at Potter Manor last year. Frank had punched James square in the jaw when he had essentially accused Albus' lack of skill upon a broom for causing the rift between the two brothers. James had been shocked initially, but then responded with a sock to the gut. The two were soon rolling in the Quad, throwing fists at each other. If Alice hadn't stepped in when she did, both of them might have been expelled. "We had better keep Alice around, in that case." Albus chuckled drily, clearly remembering the same incident.

"Hmmmm…" Frank responded, eyeing his best mate. He shrugged nonchalantly, and lay back on the bed. The two remained in a comfortable silence; Frank laid out on the bed and Albus standing, until Frank suddenly broke the silence.

"Alice fancies you!" He exclaimed, glaring at the ceiling.

"What!" Albus whispered, shocked.

"You heard right…" Frank muttered darkly.

"Wha- But I- We- No." Albus stammered.

Frank sat up abruptly, turning his glare on Albus.

"No?" He asked sternly.

"No." Albus replied, his face as white as The Bloody Baron's.

Frank breathed out in relief. "Good."

"Good?"

"Good."

"Okay…?"

"Okay."

 _Silence._

"Dinner?"

"Oh, yes please!"


	5. With Much Ado About Nothing

p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Mr. Malfoy." Minerva McGonagall held her thin smile tight, despite her delight at seeing her old student./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Headmistress." A curt nod, while anxiously flickering grey eyes searched the room./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"The middle-aged man had silver streaks in his shockingly white hair, giving the impression that he had played around in glitter, rather than simply succumbed to old age. Draco Malfoy looked just as young as the last day Minerva had seen him, over a decade ago, in Diagon Alley. He was just as uncomfortable in public spaces then as he was now– and with good reason, of course. Although Harry had testified for him and his mother, and had saved them from Azkaban, the rest of the Wizarding Society didn't take to kindly to him. He was often the target of hexes and curses when out in public, and as such, had learnt to cast protective charms over himself and his family whenever they did venture out into public. He was, in fact, doing so right then– despite being safely secured in McGonagall's office./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"The Headmistress patiently waited for him to finish muttering his spells before speaking. "I appreciate you taking the time out to meet with me." She said warmly, a hint of a smile playing on her lips./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""How could I not, Headmistress? After everything you did for me… For my son…" It would have been a cool reply, nonchalant, expect the man's voice choked on the last words./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I'm glad to hear that you are doing well. And Scorpius is a wonderful student; you needn't worry about him anymore."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"A weak smile and silence./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Business is booming, I've heard…?" She continued with small talk genially, testing the waters./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Ah yes. Every year, when the new batch of witches and wizards come to purchase the essentials for Hogwarts." A smile creeps up into his eyes. "I spend most of the remaining year researching, and trying to strengthen the durability of-" He catches himself in time. Eyes wide and scared, his looks about the room./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Mr. Malfoy, I assure no one is eavesdropping on our conversation." Minerva says, slightly annoyed at his paranoia./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Mmmm…" He says, not looking convinced. He eyes were so large, that Minerva worried they might just pop out of his head./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Are you still… taking the potion?" She ventures, after yet another brief, but highly awkward silence./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"A tight nod. His eyes are tired again./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Have you ever considered, maybe, it's time you stopped? I know you are well aware of the possible side effects of such prolonged use of–"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I appreciate your concern, Minerva," He interrupts, eyes suddenly flaring with defiance. "But, I shall continue to use the potion so as to go about my work in peace. If people knew who was selling them– no– no one would even want to– I'd go right out of business." He finished strong./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Mr. Malfoy, I believe the world has changed since you last let them see you. Old prejudices have been buried for a while now. I think–" She inhaled sharply as Draco Malfoy, former student, dared to interrupt her again./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""WITH all due respect, Headmistress, if there is nothing the matter with Scorpius, I shall take my leave now." He stood, rising to his full Malfoy-inherited height, and swept his robes about him as he headed to the fireplace./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Draco," Minerva said quietly, a look in her eyes he was not accustomed to seeing. He halted, one foot in the fireplace, his figure slightly hunched to make it under the stone arch. He looked up at his former Professor, an inexplicable anger burning in his eyes./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""There's a student, very much like yourself, who could use your guidance."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""That is none of my concern."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""You could help him find his way, Draco." She was pleading with him now./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""And have the child know my secret? No. Minerva, you have helped me greatly, but this is too much of a risk. Good day."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"And with that, Draco Malfoy vanished into a burst of green flames./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"-x-/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"James Sirius Potter was tired of bumping into his kid brother, who hated him ever so dearly, all the embloody/em time. After the fifth time in the span of a week, James was convinced that The Castle was plotting against him./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Damnit! Watch where you're going!" James yelled, rubbing his bruised nose after being pushed in a suit of armour./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Why don't you, Oh Prodigious One!" Albus sneered back, his no-conflict rule finally being broken. He just could not stand pompous James anymore./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Jealous, are we?" James sneered back, his eyes flashing. He poked Albus in the chest./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Hardly. All you can do are some tricks on a broom." Albus retorted, pushing James hard./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Tut, tut, tut. Looks like little Al is jealous. Dad and I always bonding over flying, didn't we? And Lily too. And Mum. Felt left out, did you?" James shoved him further and further back with every sentence./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"They had officially caused a scene now. Students were crowding around the two Potter boys as they fought in the corridor of the Defence classroom. Before Al could retort, someone shouted "Fight!" and both boys turned to stare at the crowd. Seemingly egged on, they turned back to each other with fresh anger./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""At least I don't ride my name to fame." Albus spat, pulling out his wand. He knew this was something that deeply bothered James, but he felt no inclination to hold back at this point./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""And what name is that? You're hardly a Potter." James replied icily, clearly stung by Albus' words. He too, pulled out his wand, and pointed it directly at his younger brother's face./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"They were locked in a duel so intense, that nobody dared breathe. Staring into each others' eyes, green into brown, the air was quickly heating up with magic. They made for an interesting scene, the two brothers. James, on the fairer side, reddish-brown hair and deep caramel eyes; Albus with his messy mop of raven hair and brilliant green eyes. James was the taller of the two, but only just, and much larger– Quidditch gave him a strong build and a broad frame. Albus, more scrawny than muscular, would have had the odds against him, but he was absolutely brilliant with his wand. They started at each other for what felt like ages, but in actuality must have been only a few seconds. As if following some invisible cue, both boys shouted spells at the same time./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""emExpelliarmus!/em" yelled Albus, ever his father's son./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""emStupefy!/em" yelled James, not taking any chances./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""emPROTEGO!/em"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Both boy flew back wars and hit either wall of the corridor, slumping on the floor. The crowd turned to look at the source of the third spell. There, at the door of an empty classroom, stood Lily Luna Potter. Sweet, gentle, and furious Lily Potter. Her face was almost as red as her messy hair, as she stood glaring at her two idiot brothers./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"James groaned and rubbed the side of his head. He blinked wearily, Lily swimming in and out of his vision. Once that cleared, his jaw dropped as he glared at his baby sister. br /Albus, on the other side of what was now a wide circle of gaggling students, made a sound that was a cross between a shriek and cough./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""What." Lily began, her anger rolling off her stiff shoulders in waves./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Are." She walked out to James, and pulled him by his left ear./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""You." She dragged James across the corridor to where Al was trying to stand up, and grabbed his ear in her other hand./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Two." She dragged them both to the empty classroom, away from prying eyes./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Idiots." She threw them in and turned to lock the door shut./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Doing?" She spun around, wand pointed at the two of them. Her tone was even, but James and Albus knew that was far worse than any temper tantrum she could have thrown./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I was coming to find you, Lils." James said grumpily, bracing a desk for support as he stood./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Me too." Mumbled Al, sheepishly rubbing his head./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""You found me." She managed through gritted teeth. She gave them her best, "emExplain. Now./em" looks./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Look, I was just casually glancing over The Map when I saw you disappear into this room with–" James began saying, looking at the floor./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Jenny told me that Marie told her that she saw you sneak into this room with–" Albus started at the same time, staring at the ceiling./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""With?" Lily prompted, making them both look at her, only to quickly turn away again./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Lil, do you mind… uh…" Albus began, blushing slightly./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Yeah, if you could just…" James muttered waving his arms about./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Spit it out, boys. You've already tested my patience enough today…"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""That is, just button your shirt, Lils." James managed finally, coughing awkwardly./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"A gruff chuckle sounded along with Lily's flustered giggled, making both boys look at her sharply. Lily, their baby sister, stood by the door of the abandoned classroom, face flushed from embarrassment, quickly buttoning up her shirt. With his arm possessively around her waist, stood an open-shirted, smirking, Scorpius Malfoy./p 


	6. Of Ice and Fire

With the yuletide right around the corner and the snow beginning to set in, Hogwarts saw many a student seek comfort in the arms of another. The Castle did, of course, have ample spaces for them to canoodle in private. Yet, somehow, James Sirius Potter couldn't find a single space to himself. He huffed and blew a lock of silken hair out of his eyes as he trudged past another couple hidden away–only barely, mind you– in one of the many alcoves that lined the hallways.

"Bloody winter" He muttered under his breath, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets. It had not been a good week for him– from the newest batch of letters from his parents to running in on Lily and– he blanched at the thought of whom she had been with. And what they had been doing. _And what they were doing right then, in front of everyone._

"Lily!" James barked, his fury finally coming to.

She broke apart from her passionate embrace with the blonde Slytherin, and fixed James with an angry glare. With her red hair like flames, and Scorpius' white like ice, they seemed like complete opposites to James. He couldn't understand how they were together. Or why.

Of course, his sister was brilliant, but Scorpius? No. Scorpius Sodding Malfoy was the scum of the Earth. He heard his Aunt 'Mione say it in hushed tones to Uncle Ron, Ginny and Harry, many years ago. The Granger-Weasleys had come over so that Al and Rose could play. It had gotten late, and the adults were discussing grown-up things in the kitchen. James had snuck up to listen in. Aunt 'Mione had expressed how she could never forgive Draco Sodding Malfoy and his entire family. At the time, James hadn't known why she was so angry, but in his fifth year he pieced together that Aunt 'Mione had been tortured in Malfoy Manor during The War. And Draco Sodding Malfoy had been there. She was courteous, of course, whenever they met on September first, but never outright friendly. All the adults in his life were. So how could Lily betray them like this?

"James?" She asked testily. Scorpius only looked on blankly, his arms wrapped rather possessively around Lily's waist.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He yelled, storming up to the young couple. He stopped only a foot away, still glaring.

"You're in the middle of the hallway, for Merlin's sake! Have you no decency?"

Lily's eyes twitched angrily.

"No more than you, I suppose." She said icily, before turning to Scorpius and kissing him even more obscenely than before. The latter didn't seem to mind much, and James even saw him smirking.

"Stop. Or I'll tell Mum." James said evenly. He was tired of this bullshit.

"You wouldn't!" Lily gasped, pushing Scorpius off of her rather violently. This time it was James who smirked.

"I would too, Lils. It's for your own good." James said haughtily, throwing a disdainful look at Scorpius.

"You can't decide what's good for me and what isn't!" Lily said rather hysterically.

"I'm your older brother, and I will." He retorted.

"You're just jealous."

"Of you?"

"Yes. Not because I'm dating Scorp," She corrected quickly, noting the alarmed look on both boys' faces. "But because I have someone. Who do you have, Jamie? No one. Because you push everyone away." Throwing those hurtful words at him, Lily stormed off down the hall, her hand firmly gripping Scorpius'.

"Uh, James?" A tiny voice spoke form his right, and in his frustration, James turned quickly, bowling over the poor girl. She let out a terrified squeak as they landed in a heap on the floor.

"Bollocks!" James cursed, gingerly climbing to his feet. He held out one hand to the mousy fifth year and ruffled his hair with the other. She looked up tentatively at him, and after a reassuring smile from his side she took his hand. He pulled her up effortlessly, and she seemed frazzled by the sensation.

"Sorry about that. You needed something…?" James asked, sharply, but not unkindly.

"Professor Longbottom is waiting for you by Greenhouse number three." She squeaked, all the words rushing out together. Her face flushed as she turned to rush down the corridor, but James caught her arm.

"Do I push people away? Really?" Her asked her on impulse, searching her dark irises for hope.

"You pushed me over…" She muttered, uncharacteristic of her earlier demeanour, she met his gaze levelly. "Now please let go."

James nodded mutely, surprised by the vehemence in her. As son as he let go, she shot down the hallway. Muttering vague thanks, James remembered her message and contemplated going to grab a thicker coat. Never mind, he thought, it must be something urgent. His spirits slightly better, James quickly trotted out in the freezing snow to the Greenhouses.

-x-

"Lily, come on!" Scorpius protested, pulling his lovely girlfriend to a stop.

"What?" She turned on him with a vengeance. Her eyes threatened to spill tears of frustration, but she held strong. Blinking fast and sniffling slightly she got her emotions back under control.

"Come here." Scorpius beckoned, tugging her gently into an alcove near the Rec Room. They leaned into one another. Scorpius wrapped his lean arms around her. She rested her head against his chest and sighed. He murmured sweet nothings into her hair, and rubbed circles on her back.

"Scorp, what are we going to do?"

"About what, love?"

"About this; you and me. My family. Your family. Everyone!" She grew exasperated, her fists balling up and pounding on his chest.

"We'll talk it out." He replied, holding her hands in his and bringing them up to his face to kiss them.

"They won't even listen! My own brothers can't accept us, how could our parents?" She asked, yanking her hand away, to bury her face in.

"They will see. They'll see how when I look at you all I can see is love. And when you smile, I know I do too." He hugged her close again, whispering into her ear.

"That's not enough." She peeked through her fingers up at him.

"They are fine with us being friends, Lil! Best friends even! How many summers have you spent at my house? How many times have I been over for your surprise birthday parties? And all those trips into muggle England? Lils, they'll get over it." He kissed her chastely on the lips.

"I just don't know, Scorp. I hate fighting with them. It's bad enough that James and Albus can't talk to each other– now they're not talking to me!" she pulled away, leaning her forehead against the cold stonewall, her back him.

"Lily, look at me," Scorpius said gently. When she didn't respond, he touched her shoulder.

"Look." He said again, this time she turned and looked at him with her big brown eyes.

"It is not your job to hold those two together, okay? You got to make your own choices, for you." He smiled slightly, reassuringly, he thought, while he gently stroked her arm.

"I know Scorpius! Why do you think I finally kissed you after we won that match against Gryffindor? And in front of all those people, mind. I am making this choice for me, but I can't disregard the rest of my family, and how this might affect them!" She trailed her fingers up his arms and down his chest as she spoke, poking him hard in the sternum to make her points.

"I'm not asking you to–" He began, speaking softly, so as not to agitate her. Lily could only hear condescension.

"That's right. You're telling me to, Scorp. That's just what my brothers are doing as well." She shook her head sadly, stepping away from his embrace. He stood flabbergasted, wondering what had just happened.

"I can't be with you right now. I'll catch you later, yeah?" And she was gone before he could say another word.

-x-

Albus shuffled uneasily in anticipation, finally deciding to lean against the wall behind him. It really was cold this time of day. The sun was setting over the Forbidden Forest, lighting up the sky in pinks and purples. Albus huffed and a cloud of mist formed. His pink nose twitched from the chill. He was in his heavy winter coat, the Potter house crest embroidered over his left breast. The soft fur lining kept his body warm, but his face was at the mercy of the elements. Hearing the soft crunch of snow coming from his right, Albus quickly pushed off the wall, and turned to face the arriving figure. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, hoping fervently that this meeting wouldn't end in a fight. Albus' back was towards the setting sun, keeping him in a shadow. The other boy would only be able to tell who he was when he came closer– close enough for him to hear Albus. Cautiously, Albus gripped his wand under the cloak. He had planned this meeting to perfection.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed to his right. He turned and saw that the setting sun's last rays were glinting off the glass walls of Greenhouse Number Three, falling directly on his face. He winced, hoping that James couldn't see him clearly from a distance. The approaching figure stopped a little way off, and Albus knew he had been seen. He cursed under his breath, waiting to see what James would do. James ran. Towards him.

"Bollocks."


	7. Letters Home

p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"To My Dearest Mother and Most Adoring Father, /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"I cannot wait to see you next week! I have some very exciting news to share with the both of you (yes, you'll just have to live with the suspense). I simply can't believe the whirlwind that Fourth Year has been. /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Scorpius has been helping me with Charms, and you both will be happy to hear the Professor Angelworth is pleased with my progress. She even predicts that I might pass with an E this year! /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"The last Hogsmeade weekend was wonderful. I spent most of my time with Scorp, of course, but Mel, Angie and I did get in a bit of shopping afterwards. Did you know Uncle George came out with a new product that makes your bogeys turn rainbow-coloured and shoot out of your nose with a trail of glitter? The man's a genius, I tell you. How do you reckon a Bat-Bogey curse would work with that? Rainbow bats possibly? Mum? /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Dad, please talk to Uncle Neville about the unjust amount of work he prescribes to his students. I have more Herbology homework than Potions and Transfiguration put together! /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Mum, we played Ravenclaw this weekend, and I'm pretty sure I made Harold Flitwing cry. I didn't hex him or anything, I just simply stole the snitch from right under his nose– literally. Mum, you'd be so proud! /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Give Aunt 'Mione and Uncle Ron and Grandma Molly and Grandpa Arthur (and anybody else you might meet) all my love. /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Eagerly awaiting Christmas at home, /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Lily /spanbr /span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"br /P.S. I hope you stuck to my wishlist when you went Christmas shopping– we wouldn't want a repeat of last year, would we?/span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"-x-/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Dear Mum and Dad, /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"I've been well, thanks. The Professors have all got me busy under piles of work./span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"I'm sorry I haven't written in ages. This term has been quite hectic– I just don't know where the time goes. I can't believe it's already Christmas! /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"We won against Hufflepuff last month, so there's that. I suppose my captaincy isn't bringing doom on the Gryffindor winning streak, after all. /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Thomas and Octavia can still come over for the Christmas party, right? /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"See you in a week,br /spanspan style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"James Sirius Potter /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"P.S. Don't believe a word of what Albus tells you about any 'incident'. He lies. /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"-x-/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Dear Mum, Dad, /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"I am doing well. How are you both? How's Gran? And Grandpa? /spanspan style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Has George sorted out his latest product yet? He promised I could help with some of the Charms work! /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"How's the old bike shaping up, Dad? I'll bring some new recipes I learnt from Hiccup-the-house-elf this term– there's a Christmas pie that I'd love to try out with you! And Mum, did you beat the boggart that moved into my room yet? I'd like it back to for break. Also, Uncle Neville promised you a few Potted Pumberlings for Christmas. I do hope these ones don't wail. /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Sorry that my weekly letter is late, things got a bit… wild… last weekend. James and I walked in on Lily and her BOYFRIEND– my, that was scarring. I do hope she's told you about that. I don't suppose she's told you who it is, yet, has she? Well, that's only the beginning of the drama. Are you sitting down? You should sit down. /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"I know you both are aware of how much James and I quarrel all the time, but really, you don't know the half of it. The truth is, we haven't spoke to each other properly since… well, my first year. James was a right cow to me, you know, when I got sorted into good old 'Puff, and he refused to even speak to me. It wasn't easy, but I found a friend in Frank. Since then, James and I have barely spoken to each other. We avoid each other at all costs during the school year and only put on a show for you at home. Christmas and Easter are alright– they're short holidays, and there's always so many people around, we still don't have to interact much. You must have noticed that during the summers James and I are hardly ever in the same room– or even house– at the same time. That's been the most difficult vacation to handle. /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Things changed last night, though. We got into it really bad. Punches (sorry, Dad) and hexes (sorry, Mum) were thrown. We're both in pretty bad shape today, but it got sorted. /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"After we nearly beat each other to a pulp, we talked. We talked like friends, Mum, Dad! For the first time in years. James, he actually opened up to me! He's in so much pain– but he won't talk about it to anyone else. I feel as though I am betraying his confidentiality by even telling you two this much– but you need to know. Please, reach out to him when we come back. He really needs the support. This is as much as I can say without guilt. I hope you understand. /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Your Loving Son, /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"Al /span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.119999885559082px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"br /span style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: oblique; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"P.S. Alice (Longbottom!) kissed me last night. What do I do? I don't like her like that, at least… I don't think I do. Help, please, Mum. (Dad, don't feel bad, you know you're rubbish at this!)/span/p 


	8. Of Fights And Forgiveness

A/N:

Hello, my lovelies!

Once again, I am awfully late with an update. Inspiration just hadn't struck. Excuses, excuse, I know. I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting (I hope you were waiting eagerly at least?). I can't promise timely updates, but I do hope you'll stick with me nonetheless. As always, leave a like and review! :)

Love,

Lune

-x-

The three Potter-Weasley children had come home a week before Christmas. Much to the surprise of Harry and Ginny, their two sons were speaking amicably and could be found in odd corners of the house whispering and giggling, a sight the house hadn't seen since before James had started at Hogwarts. What was even stranger was that Lily Potter refused to talk to either of her older brothers, and spent most of the week locked in her room. Three days later, Ginny and Harry could no longer take the suspense. And at that fateful dinner, on Christmas Eve no less, all the tension in the house overflowed.

"James, pass the salt please," Albus said, his mouth half full of Harry's famous dinner roast.

"Sure thing, Al," James responded happily, passing the small glass bottle across the table. Harry and Ginny both looked on, mouths open. Lily pointedly ignored her brothers, choosing instead to poke around the food on her plate.

"Lily!" Ginny barked. "Do not play with your food."

"I'm not hungry." Lily pouted, glaring at her mother. The two redheads stared each other down, while the rest of the table went quiet.

"Then you are excused. Go to your room." Ginny said icily, after what felt like ages.

Lily scraped her chair back, the way she knew would annoy her mother the most, and stalked off to her room. Ginny sighed in frustration.

"Gin," Harry started, only to be interrupted by his seething wife.

"No, Harry. Don't 'Gin' me!" She banged a fist against the table in frustration. "How could she lie to us like this?"

"Ginny, she didn't lie!" Harry responded, pinching the bridge of his nose above his glasses.

"She's dating Scorpius Malfoy!" Ginny yelled, slumping against the chair.

"So what? I know he's a Malfoy, but really, Gin, relationships in Fourth Year never last very long!"

"Oh Harry," Ginny began, leaning over to cup his face gently. "It's not that he's a Malfoy, and I know it won't last long, but do you remember your Fourth Year? Yule Ball? Hormones? Sex?" Harry paled considerably at the mention of the latter.

"Wh-Who was having sex in Fourth Year, Ginny!?" Harry squeaked.

"Well, not you, but…" Ginny said, her cheeks colouring slightly.

"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed aghast.

"Ewwww," Albus said.

"Gross" James chimed in.

"May we be excused now?" Albus asked, licking his fork clean.

"Of course. Play nice, boys." Ginny said, a strange half-smile creeping upon her face.

James and Albus shot upstairs faster than they could blink. Harry looked on, amused.

"Do you really think they'd have sex? She's only fourteen, Gin…" Harry asked, once his sons were out of sight.

"I don't know! Kids these days… Marnie's daughter is pregnant, Harry. She's fifteen and she's pregnant!" Ginny replied, quite hysterically.

"Yes, but we've raised Lily well. To know better. And Scorpius… he's like another son to us. He'd never… you know…" Harry finished weakly. He remembered, upon Ginny's amused glare, that he was 'like a son' to Molly and Arthur, and well, he did… you know…

"It doesn't matter how well we've raised her, Harry. She'll have sex if she wants to. The two aren't mutually exclusive. And Scorpius would never outright force her– he's a decent lad– but she might feel obligated or expected to. I don't know! I just don't know!" Ginny hurried her face in her hands. Harry leaned across and stroked her hair.

"Gin, it'll be okay."

"And you were right when you said they won't last long. So what are we going to do when he breaks her heart?" At that thought, Harry's hand froze and his eyes bugged out.

"We kill him." He said, simply. Ginny burst out laughing, all her tension released.

"You can't just kill anyone who hurts her, Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, her face breaking out into a big grin.

"I'm The Chosen One– I'll do as I please." He said pompously, a smirk playing upon his otherwise serious face.

"Oh really?" Ginny challenged, leaning in for a kiss.

"Truly." Harry murmured against her lips. All the trouble of children left them as they sank into the embrace. Harry was transported back to his school days when he first fell for this fierce redhead. suddenly, Harry inhaled sharply and pulled back. Ginny looked up at him questioningly. Harry couldn't help the words that slipped from his mouth.

"Who _did_ you sleep with in Fourth Year?"

—x—

Lily stared into the darkness feeling miserable. She hated fighting with her family, and now all of them were mad at her. She was lying on her bed and her entire body tingled when the cell phone she secretly purchased vibrated upon an incoming message. Cracking a smile she reached for the handy little device. Mel, a Muggleborn, bought two for her and Scorpius to use over break. She handed them over when they met in Diagon Alley some days back under the pretense of 'Christmas shopping'. That was the last time she had seen Scorp, but they had been 'texting' ever since.

"Hey :)" read the message from Scorpius. Lily liked that he used the symbols to make faces. She felt like he was right next to her then.

"Hi :)" she replied, the keys making clicking noises with every button she pressed. She felt dangerous and alive.

"Hw ws dinner?" Came his response, not two seconds later. Though neither had seen such a device before Mel had shown them in Diagon Alley, their constant use of the small 'magic bricks' (as Scorpius has called them initially) over the past three days had left them as experts.

"V bad. Fought w/ M again. :(" Lily quickly typed out. She didn't hear the creak of the loose floorboard outside, and she yelped when James threw open her door. Light flooded in, but she managed to hit send and hide the device in the top drawer of her nightstand.

"Lils?" He ventured, stepping into her room carefully.

"Sorry for scaring you!" Albus said, poking his head around his big brother. The sight of the two of them so amiable left Lily feeling angrier than ever. It reminded of the times when they were young and her brothers would go off on their 'adventures' and leave her out of their games. The way they ganged up on her against Scorpius made her feel a similar sense of betrayal, and now that they were suddenly best friends again, it hurt in a way that she never expected. Lily scowled at the two of them.

"Go away." She growled, pulling her covers up to her chin.

"Lily… come on!" James exclaimed, slight frustration creeping into his strained voice. Albus stepped around James and walked up to the side of her bed.

"We're sorry, okay?" James said, coming up on the other side of her bed.

"Really sorry," Albus said, nodding.

"Well, I don't care for your apologies! I can't believe you told Mum, Albus!" Lily said angrily, though the intensity of her wrath was muffled through her duvet.

"Yeah Al, that was a bad move." James agreed, hoping to score brownie points with his sister.

"And you told Dad!" Lily yelled, turning on James. Albus glowered at him over Lily's bed and James remembered that look with a familiarity he hated himself for.

"Er, right. Sorry!" He said weakly. No response. With both his siblings glaring at him, James remembered a similar fight they had years ago.

He had broken Lily's toy car by accident and destroyed Albus' sandcastle in the process. He knew he was in worse trouble now, years of bitterness between him and Albus weren't going to disappear over one heart to heart, so this slip up might've cost him two weeks worth of progress on that front. And Lily not only hated James' mothering when they were at school, but she also found his hypocrisy infuriating. James decided to diffuse the situation the same way he did all those years ago in their backyard. He took a deep breath, hoping he still remembered his 'monster voice' and bowed his head. Quickly lifting it up, he pulled a face and said, "Jamie bad. Jamie hurt Al-bus and Li-Li. Jamie sorry." He kept his face pulled until he heard Albus whisper, " What's he on about?" followed by Lily's giggle. A look of recognition crossed Albus' eyes as he too remembered all the times James had apologised with the Monster Voice. Soon the three of them were holding their sides laughing. Lily wiped away tears.

She heard a distinct buzzing from her table and she was brought back to the present. Laughing with her brothers had diffused her anger to a large extent, but she wasn't sure she was ready to forgive them just yet. She sat up straight, suddenly worried about what they would say if the read some of the raunchy texts that she and Scorpius had been sending each other. Her cheeks paled at the thought. Albus was the first to notice, and he sobered up quickly. To distract him, Lily began the rant she had planned weeks ago.

"You two have no right to tell me who I can or cannot date. Where do you get off telling me not to snog him in the halls? We've all seen you, James, with your tongue down the throats of numerous girls right in the middle of the Entrance Hall! That's not a sight anybody wants to see! And you, Albus! I've heard many a rumour about you. I don't go believing all of them, do I? I respect both of you to make your own choices, so why can't you award me the same space? Some ridiculous notion that I need your protecting is insulting to me and women everywhere. You–"

"Lily, you lied to me!" Albus yelled over her raised voice. "You… you used to tell me everything, Lily. but ever since you and Scorpius got together, you haven't talked to me the same way. I thought I'd be one of the first people to know, instead I had to find out from some random Ravenclaw? That was hurtful, Lily." Albus looked so broken, that Lily was speechless. James shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other.

"I– Would you have been supportive? Or behaved the same way, Albus? Because knowing you, it wouldn't have mattered if a Ravenclaw told you or I did." She eyed him levelly.

"I don't like him and that won't change Lily. I don't like the two of you together, but–" whatever Albus was going to say to defend himself died in his throat as he saw his little sister's teary eyes. "–I won't bother you about it anymore. Promise. But you've got to stop lying to me Lily." Albus finished, looking at her expectantly. She only looked at him, wide-eyed.

"Lils?" He said softly, in that Albus-way that made her look at him despite her better judgment. The moment their eyes met she knew she had forgiven him, and she nodded– a silent promise not to lie anymore. Al, her big brother, who only ever looked out for her. Of course, she understood where he was coming from. Albus clearly knew this as well, as took a seat on the right side of her bed.

"I'm sorry, Lily." He whispered, scratching the back of his head ashamedly.

James meanwhile had crept up to her left side.

"Me too, Lils." He said, looking so sad and lost that Lily had to forgive him as well. With a groan, she sat up and threw her duvet off.

"You two are the most annoying, nosy, and infuriatingly protective brothers ever!" She exclaimed.

The two boys looked at each other, grinning, and said in unison, "We know." And then they launched at their baby sister, smothering her in big hugs. Lily laughed and embraced them both.

"I'm still annoyed, you know." She said seriously, pulling away from them.

"Yeah, but at least you don't hate us anymore," Albus said, opening the top drawer in her bedside table, no doubt looking for candy or chocolate.

"It was hell not talking to you, Lils!" James agreed, shaking his head.

"Lils, what's this thing?" Albus said, holding up the cell phone by its edge.

"Ah– uh– That's a muggle cell phone. Mel gave one to me and one to Angie so that we could talk over break!" She said, relief flooding through her as she came up with a good cover.

"Oh. What's wrong with owls?" James asked, leaning across her lap to see the phone in Albus's hand.

"Her neighbours complained about the increase in owls near her house, and her parents were worried about appearances… so… yeah. Plus, this is faster." She lied easily and felt quite proud of herself.

The phone buzzed and the screen lit up. Albus screaming and threw it in the air. James rolled off Lily laughing at Albus' reaction. The phone landed safely next to Lily. She quickly turned the screen off and placed her hand over it.

"What was that noise you made, Al?" James asked between peels of laughter.

"I– Hey! It was terrifying okay? Nearly blinded me, it did." Albus complained, rubbing his eyes wearily.

"Show us how it works, Lils!" James said, turning towards her.

"Ah, not right now. I'm kind of tired, you know… yawn." She said, her heart thumping in her throat.

"Did you just… _say_ yawn instead of yawning?" Albus looked at her weirdly.

Lily looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Why are you sweating Lils?" James asked, his eyes squinting suspiciously at her.

"It's hot in here, that's all." She said, swallowing thickly. The cell phone buzzed again.

"Who's that? It's quite late, you know Lily. Especially for Mel…" James said again.

"Uh– Hey! Albus! Give it back!" She yelled, but Albus was already across the room tapping the device madly, trying to turn the screen on.

"Oh no…" Lily muttered, jumping after Albus. The screen flashed on wildly, illuminating Albus' face just as Lily snatched the phone away.

"Angie. I'm messaging Angie on this thing. Girl talk, you know? Nothing either of you would want to be privy to." Lily said haughtily, stomping back to her bed.

"Lily…" James began, now standing next to Albus.

"No. You two can consider yourselves on probation. Don't give me a reason to ignore you again, because we all know I will!" Lily responded angrily.

"Right. Okay. Goodnight, then." James said curtly, clearly annoyed with her secrecy.

"Good night!" Albus said, more cheerfully. Lily was suspicious. She nodded and they closed the door. Once more engulfed in darkness Lily was about to turn the cell phone on when Albus popped his head back into her room. His face had a humourless smile.

"Say goodnight to Scorpius too."

Lily flopped onto her bed and groaned. Albus knew she had lied again.


	9. The Christmas Party: Hugo

A/N:

Hello, my lovelies!

The next few chapters will be the Annual Christmas Party at the Burrow from different characters' perspectives.

Please please please leave a review, it will make me a better author and storyteller.

Love,  
Lune

-x-

Hugo flopped onto the couch at The Burrow in-between Rose, who was reading a book as usual, and Charlie, who had something round and egg-looking on his lap.

Hugo flopped onto the couch at The Burrow in-between Rose, who was reading a book as usual, and Charlie, who had something round and egg-looking on his lap.

"What's that?" Hugo asked, wrinkling his nose and pointing at the bundle.

"It's a dragon egg, lad." Charlie responded in his deep voice. His smile was slightly crooked and Hugo was convinced that all his time spent with dragons, Charlie was turning into some kind of hybrid. He had this air of danger that only those magnificent creatures possessed. He remembered noticing the resemblance when they had visited him and Andrei in Romania a few years back on what was the most eventful family vacation they'd ever had. The way Charlie and his partner handled the dragons reminded him of how his mum and dad dealt with him and Rose. They seemed a perfect family, and remembering all this, Hugo was not that surprised to find Charlie carrying around an unborn baby dragon. He just didn't know why.

"Why are you carrying it?" He asked, leaning into the old orange sofa.

"Little one lost his Mum recently to poachers," Charlie said darkly, his arms automatically wrapping around the egg protectively. "He needs to be kept warm in order for him hatch. Now, humans are not nearly as warm as dragon, but the layers of blankets, a few heating charms and a beating heart help." He grinned down at the bundle of reds and yellows. Hugo almost believed it was Charlie's own child. He smiled up at his weird Uncle.

"So does Andrei also carry it around? I haven't seen him yet, tonight." Hugo asked, in what he hoped was a polite manner.

Charlie frowned at the mention of Andrei. "He's not coming this year." his tone was icy.

Before Hugo could pry further, Rose nudge him and coughed. That was their signal, him and Rose. Whenever the other was heading for trouble, the sibling would nudge and cough. This often came in handy during their large family gatherings– invariably, Rose would have heard from Ron events in the lives of family members that Hermione thought Hugo needn't know. And Hugo would be made aware through Hermione about a whole host of things that Ron couldn't be bothered about, let alone inform Rosie. It wasn't that Ron didn't spend time with his son, or Hermione with her daughter, but gossip partners were such in the Granger-Weasley family, and no one had a problem with it.

Hugo shuffled his feet while working up the courage to ask Charlie a question that had been bothering him for ages. He took in a deep breath, calming his nerves, and opened his mouth.

"Charlie! Come quickly! There's a handsome young man calling after you…" Aunt Ginny yelled from the kitchen. Hugo let out his breath in an annoyed rush, as Charlie rose from the couch. He carefully manoeuvred the egg and held it close. With a confused expression on his face, he walked towards the door. Rose was too engrossed in her book to care for the ongoings of the rest of the family– people would tell her if there was something she needed to know. Hugo got up and quietly followed Charlie.

In the doorway stood Andrei– Charlie's Romanian partner who was supposed to be abstaining from this years festivities. Hugo wanted to ask Charlie why he lied about Andrei coming, but one look at his Uncle's face told him that Charlie was none the wiser to Andrei's plans. Both men stood awkwardly in the threshold of The Burrow, and Molly Weasley, having seen far too many of such encounters in that very house sucked in a deep breath.

"Welcome, Andrei dear!" She said loudly, gesturing for the tall Romanian to come in. He did as she instructed, removing his long black coat and dusting off his boots. She then turned her pointed gaze at Charlie. "I was told you weren't coming this year…?"

"Well, yes. But how could I give up the chance to taste your delicious food, Molly?" Andrei cut in, smooth and suave, everything Charlie Weasley was not. He was tall while Charlie was broad. He was as olive skinned as Charlie was pale. His hair as dark as soot, while Charlie's flaming red. His English only had a slight accent, which added to his air of mystique, and Hugo was convinced that working with dragons simply made people cooler.

"Well, then." Molly replied, instantly coddled. "Charlie, fetch him some of that mulled wine Harry made, will you?" And with that she rushed back into the busy kitchen.

Charlie stood stony-faced, and showed no inclination to move. Hugo could see his Aunt Ginny pretending to straighten the utensils on the table as an excuse to stay within earshot. He himself was partially hidden around the corner of the stairs.

"Wha–" Charlie's usually deep rumbling voice came out as a squeak. He cleared his throat and began again. "What are you doing here?" He clearly meant it to be harsh and demeaning, but Charlie only sounded scared. Andrei looked around them to make sure they were alone. Ginny moved to the far end of the table, and Hugo pressed his back firmly against the wall. He didn't like spying, but this was important!

"I– I have something I– Charlie, I– oh why is this so hard?!" Andrei fumbled frustratedly. He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at the ceiling. He took three deep breaths and then got down on one knee. Hugo gasped and Ginny dropped a fork, but neither man noticed. Squeaking, she ducked under the table to pick it up.

"Charlie Weasley, I am madly in love with you. Will you do me the honour of being my– my husband?" Andrei said. With his cool demeanour shed, he sounded like any other forlorn teenager confessing his love for the first time.

Charlie stood open mouthed and the man in front of him. For years they had been partners, working with dragons together. Soon they had become best friends– inseparable like school boys. Andrei was invited to the annual Christmas at The Burrow for as long as Hugo could remember. And suddenly everything clicked for him. The pair had always seemed too close to be just friends, but Hugo had thought it was just some strange European custom to sit that close and kiss that many times when departing. Suddenly it all made sense– his Uncle Charlie was gay!

"You shouldn't eavesdrop, Hugo. It's rude." Rose whispered into his ear, making Hugo jump and hit his elbow against the wall.

"Owwwww!" He hissed, turning to glare at his older sister.


	10. The Christmas Party: Draco

A/N:

Hello, my lovelies!

Two chapters in one day! I figured I owed it you all for the late update. :)

Enjoy, comment and leave a kudos!

Love,  
Lune

-x-

Scorpius tugged at his simple black tie awkwardly. Draco could see him sweating profusely despite the chill winter breeze that swirled soft snowflakes around the father-son duo on the doorstep of Potter Manor. Draco worried that Scorpius would stain the new dress shirt his mother had bought him for the annual Christmas party at the Burrow. Draco watched his son tilted his head to the skies and let out a huffy breath. Through the mist that blossomed, he saw something that lit his face up with the most brilliant smile Draco had ever seen on his son's face. He knew he must be looking up at one Lily Luna Potter.

"Something amusing, son?" Draco asked, looking curiously at the boy in front of him. Just a few months ago, Scorpius barely reached Draco's shoulders. Now, however, he'd grown tall enough for Draco to look him straight in the eyes. It was in those grey eyes, the same shade as his own, but somehow warmer, kinder, softer– as if hinting at a soul that carried far fewer burdens than his own– that Draco saw the love his son had for the youngest Potter.

The door was suddenly yanked open, flooding the two men in warm yellow light and the smell of mulled wine.

"Hullo Scorp," Teddy Lupin said happily, his face not two inches from his nephew's. Scorpius grinned and threw his arms around his uncle– although the two were really more like brothers.

Draco chuckled and stepped around them, patting Teddy affectionately on the back as he entered the Potter house in what was almost a Christmas tradition at this point. He dusted the snow off his shoes and unwound his scarf, draping it elegantly over one arm. He followed the smell of mulled wine and plum cake into the kitchen, where The Original Potter was wrapping the sweet-smelling items.

"Merry Christmas Potter," Draco said courteously, standing a respectable distance away from the food.

"Oh hello Malfoy!" Harry said, looking up from the untidy bow he'd managed to tack onto the last bottle of wine. Draco grimaced but held his tongue. Last time he'd commented on the state of Harry Potter's dismal wrapping capabilities, he'd left the house without any wine.

"Merry Christmas! Here's yours-" Harry handed over a different bottle. It was a deep green colour with a delicate silver bow on it. Draco smiled at the touch of his old house colours. "And don't forget the cake!" Harry continued, thrusting a box that was warm from the plum cake inside. He dusted his hands on the pink apron he was wearing before pulling it off and exiting the kitchen.

"Cake as well?" Draco asked surprised, following Harry.

"Yeah, Albus found a new recipe and was dying to try it out. I'm not too sure it's edible, but it sure smells like a treat." Harry explained over his shoulder as he gathered his coat and scarf from the cupboard near the entrance. He was pulling on heavy boots when Ginny glided down the stairs. She looked stunning, for a mother of three, in her pale blue sweater dress.

"Merry Christmas, Malfoy," she said politely, gracing him with a smile that was not as frosty as it once had been. Although Harry and Draco had their moments of budding friendship, Ginny could never quite get on board.

"Ginevra, always a pleasure," Draco replied with the same icy undertones. He held his wine just a little closer to his chest.

"Excuse me, Mr Malfoy!" Albus yelled as he ran past Draco. Startled, Draco nearly dropped the goodies he was carrying.

"Albus, watch it!" Ginny warned, poking her head out of the coat closet.

"Sorry, Mum!" Albus screamed over his shoulder.

"James, Lily! We're going to be late!" She yelled, emerging with three black coats and a bright purple scarf. At the sound of thundering footsteps, Draco pressed himself against the wall– and rightly so. Albus whizzed past, now in the opposite direction. Ginny deftly handed him one of the three coats as he passed. Harry was grinning in the doorway talking animatedly to Teddy and Scorpius. Albus joined them. A few moments later James rushed past, grabbing his coat and scarf from his mother's outstretched hand.

"Lily!" Ginny yelled, frowning at her daughter's tardiness.

"Mum!" Lily replied in kind, as she too glided down the stairs.

Ginny's jaw dropped when she saw her daughter decked out in a fitting blue shift dress that shimmered with every move she made.

"Mum?" Lily asked, looking worried.

"You look stunning, Lily. where did you buy that – oh never mind, we've got to go!" Ginny said, her face breaking out into a big smile then collapsing into frown lines. She quickly ushered Lily towards the door.

Lily noticed Draco leant against the wall, opening what looked like a box of plum cake. She swallowed. That meant Scorpius was here too. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Lily took her coat from her mum's arm and walked towards the door.

"Merry Christmas, Mr Malfoy," She said brightly as she passed. She liked Mr Malfoy because he never treated her like a child. And Draco quite liked the youngest Potter because she was far smarter than any of the others. Her being a Slytherin definitely had nothing to do with it. Nothing at all.

"To you too, young lady," Draco smiled kindly at her. Catching Ginny's eye he smiled tightly and turned to exit the Potter house.

"C'mon then! Off we go," Ginny said, closing the front door.

She turned to regard the small gaggle in front of her and smiled inwardly. She then caught sight of her youngest making lovestruck eyes at the son of her former nemesis.

"Scorpius!" She exclaimed brightly, opening her arms for a hug. The young boy grinned and hugged Ginny Potter as though she was his own mother. Lily looked a little putout but turned instead to talk to James.

"How are you, cousin?" Teddy asked, bumping shoulders with Draco as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. He knew why Ginevra had reservation about Scorpius dating her daughter, and he knew that had to do with him. Frowning he turned to his cousin.

"Ah, the worries of the old." He said dismissively. "When's the wedding?" He continued, smirking slightly at the blush creeping on Teddy's face. "We, uh… we haven't set a date yet…" Teddy murmured Draco chuckled, his breath misting in the frosty evening weather.

"We'd best be off, then. Everyone find a partner– Yes, even you James!" Harry was saying, not a little way off from where Draco and Teddy stood.

"That's my cue," Draco said, moving to give Scorpius a final goodbye.

"We should catch up sometime, cousin. It's been too long!" Teddy said, in a tone that was sure of the answer to come.

"Definitely. Owl me some time! We'll fix it up!" Draco replied, knowing fully well that Teddy would never owl him and they'd never meet until the next Christmas Day and have the same conversation again. Teddy nodded, well versed with their little skit himself.

Draco sighed and watched as his son was whisked away to The Burrow in a flurry of magic and snow. Rubbing the tears out of his eyes, Draco Malfoy turned on his heel and apparated out of the Potter-Weasley's front yard.


End file.
